yeah, used to be that guy or a guy like that. shaved my head. tattooed my scalp. wore keys that meant nothin on chains hangin from my belt. jingle-jangle. joined some guys. scared regular citizens for no reason. yelled at an old lady til she cried. real tough. nabbed a stroller. baby and all. hid it on hester st. laughed til our sides split. more shit went down. then julio found a girl. and left. then marcus, deric, little sam. i kept on keepin on. someone had to. now i’m scratchin my memoir on a wall in cell block 8.
Up From the Ashes 
What great writing, I am sure that he has more to tell
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Thank you, Michael. I hope he has enough wall space for his tales.
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Dear Lish,
Great voice in this story. Stunning last line.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks. As you know from writing experience, this story morphed, morphed then morphed again. One edition ended with him having no arms. YUCK! Keep having fun on your vacation.
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Hopelessness well conveyed. He should have followed Julio’s example, maybe
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Indeed he should have. Pride doesn’t always trump all. Thanks for reading.
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Ouch to the ending and excellent details in such a short post – powerful
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Thank you for reading and leaving a reply,
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☀️😊
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ya pay the price bro
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Yeppers! you surely do.
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All ‘good’ things come to an end. Writing style and subject matter perfectly matched, nice one.
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Thank you.
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Sounds like he still hasn’t realised he was the last fool standing.
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I think he has a pretty big ego
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True story for so many. 🙂 Well done.
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It sure is. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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You’re welcome.
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Sounds about right, Alicia. I thought he was going to be a ghost, but prison is just about the same. Gritty story with a ring of truth.
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Thanks! Glad you stopped by.
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You’re welcome and my pleasure.
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Some people grow out of the wrong crowd, unfortunately some fail to change. Is Cell Block 8 specific to delinquents?
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Not that I know of. I just picked that number out – just cause, I guess. Thanks for asking.
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Being the one who ‘holds up the fort, keeps up the fight…’ always pays the price. Great writing! (and I would have loved to read the one-armed version, too. 🙂 )
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Thanks so much. The first version was actually a no-arm version. Kind of icky.
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Fantastic writing love it 🙂
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Thanks so much
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This post is unique, fresh, true talent. Though I the stolen baby really got me!
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The baby was used to point out how callous they were. Sorry it made you sad. Thanks for reading.
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Great story on this prompt! The question I have is, did being incarcerated change his thinking?
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I think his ego is too big for him to change his thinking. Thanks for reading and wondering.
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This is a fantabulous take, Alicia! I love what you did and I can so easily picture it. Some just won’t let go of “that” life, eh?
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Thanks, Dale. I’m having fun dipping my toe back in the waters of FF. Cheers!
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And you’ve been most creative, too!
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Serves him right, that turd!
Do you publish longer stuff, Alicia? ‘Cause if you do, I very much wanna read it!
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Hey, Mike! Once again, I’m glad you stopped by to read my 100-word story. For now, I’m just doing flash fiction on Friday Fictioneers. My writing went into a slump during covid when it really should have been on the rise. Right? Otherwise, I edit Northwest Adventures, a quarterly magazine published here in Bellingham. Thanks for your interest.
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Well, here’s hoping you dig into longer stuff soon, because these 100-word nuggets are too good to be so short!
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Thanks, Mike
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Oh this is great. Very gritty reality. You say so much here in so little words. Well done
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